Roller skate



A. L. KITSELMAN Nov. 14, 1933.

ROLLER SKATE Filed Deo. 9, 1952 HLvn [..KlTsEmnNj Patented Nov. 14, 1933 lrrrslar orsicf v1,935,187 i yROLLER sKA'rEv Alva L. Kitselman, Muncie, Ind., assignor to. Kitselman Brothers, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana ,Y Application December 9, 1932. Serial No. 646,379

' 7 claims. (o1. 20s- 179) It is the object of my invention to improve and simplify roller-skate constructions, and more especialy to improve and simplify the mounting and centering mechanism of the rollers.v In carrying out my invention, I mount the axle of each pair of rollers of the skate in the prongs of a rockable fork, rockably mounted on an axis :lying inthe medial longitudinal vertical plane of Ythe skate but oblique to the horizontal with. the slant upward toward the end of the skateyand provide on each such axle a pair of centering springs which 4act betweenl the respective prongs ofthe rockable supporting kfork and a medial plate .which is held against sidewise movement in the part on which the fork rocks. The fork is formed in two separable parts, each having `one of the prongs. In this way, I get a simple and sturdy construction, easy to assemble, disassembl`e,and repair. Y o v p l o The accompanying drawing illustrates' my invention: Fig. 1 is a longitudinalovertical section, vwithsome parts` in section, of a skate embodying my invention, the section being taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig.. 2 is a horizontal section substantiallyron the line v2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig'. 3 is a rear elevation with some parts in section substantially on the' line 3 3 of Fig.

1;.Fig. 4 is an isometric view of one of the supporting members in which a rockable forkj is mounted; and Fig.`5;is an isometric view of the .abutment member against which the inner ends of the opposed springs bear and which is located in the slots atvthe lower end ofthe supporting member shown in Fig. 4.

. which may beadjustable in length in any known manner to accommodate shoes of different sizes, and is provided with any suitable means for attaching it to the shoe and foot, such as toe-grips 11, a heel-plate 12, and straps 13. In the skate shown, the adjustment of the length oi the footplate 10 is by making such plate in two parts which are slidable on each other along a slot 14 and clampable in adjusted position by a clamping ,bolt 15. All this is standard, and may be varied as desired. v

The skate is provided with two pairs of carrying rollers 20, one pair for each ofthetwo parts of the foot-plate 10. The mountings of the two pairs of rollers on their respective foot-plate parts are the same,'so that it will be sufficient to describe only one such mounting in detail.

Riveted to the under Vside of each partofthe foot-plate 10, and xed with relation thereto, is a supporting bracket 21. VThe bracket 21, shown in fis-Q The roller skate has the usual foot-plate 10;

detail inFig. 4, has'a base 22; two parallel supporting arms 23, which lie -in planes transverse to the longitudinal axis of the skate and project from the lbase 22 obliquely downward and toward the skate-end (obliquely downward and forward E inthe case of the front bracket, and obliquely downward and backward Ain the case of the rear bracket); and two substantially vertical downward extensions 24 from the lower ends of the respective arms 23.Y 'The two projections 24 have alined vertical slots 25 extending upward from their lower ends and lying substantially in the central longitudinal vertical` plane of the skate. Anabutment plate 26, having a central hole 27 through it, slidably fits in the slots 25, and is capable of a slight vertical sliding movement therein. A pivot-pin'Sl extends between and perpendicu-` lar to the two parallel supporting armsv 23, and

. lies in the longitudinal vertical medial planefof the skate. Thus theaxis of the pivot-pin 31 is 75 oblique Yto the horizontal, slanting upward at the end toward the end of the skate. It is the axis of the pivot-pinl on which the-corresponding pair of rollers 20 is ,rockable The pivot-pin 31 is `suitably held in place,'as by alcotter-pin 32.- 80

- The pivot-pin Blufurnishes a pivotal supportofor arockable fork 33. 'Thisforkis composed oftwo separable matingsv plates ;v which lie on oppositesides of thepivot-pin `3l and are shaped to t thereupon, and are clamped together by clamping bolts 34. Thetwo plates forming the rockable fork .33 are separated rom each other, and their spaced `lower vends form iingersor lfork-prongs 35 Which-extend downward parallel tov each other on the twosides of the abutment Vplate-26 but'are spaced therefrom. A shouldered sleeve 36 is o mounted inthese ngers orA fork-,prongs 35, and extends loosely through the hole 27 inthe abutvment plate 26. Two opposed compression springs 37 surround the sleeve 36, and lie on opposite sides 95 of the abutment plate 26 and between it and theA respective fingers 35. These compression springs 37 are under compression, andotend to hold such ngers 35 equidistant from the abutment plate 26 and thus tenld to center the fork 23.

An axle bolt 40 extends axially through the shouldered sleevev 36, and at each end removably carries a roller-sleeve 41 on which the corresponding roller 2O is suitably rotatable, by any suitable bearing; A nut 43 on the axle-bolt 40 clamps the two roller-sleeves 41 of the pair of rollers rmlyr against the shouldered ends of the sleeve 36 where such ends project through the ngers or forkprongs 35.y

In operation, the opposed springs 37 tend to hold the foot-plate 10 transversely horizontal when the rollers 20 are in engagement with the rink-floor or other skating surface. When the skaters foot pushes down on either side of the foot-plate 10, however, and such foot-plate is thereby transversely tilted from the horizontal plane, one or the other spring of each pair of springs 37` is compressed between its finger or fork-prong 35 and the central abutment-plate 25, as such fork rocks on the axis of the pivot-pin 31 as a result of such foot pressure. The obliqueness of the pivot pin 31 causes such rocking of the fork 33 to have not only a lateral component which compresses one of the springs 37, but also a component about a Vertical axis. This latter component causes the two rollers 20 which are at that side of the foot'- plate 10 which is pushed downward to move toward each other, and the other two rollers to move away from each other, as is indicated by the two sets of dotted lines in Fig. 2. This permits the skate, and the skater, to move in a curve over the ioor--a curve which the skater controls by the pressure of his feet on one side or the other of the foot-plate 10-of his skates. When the pressure on the depressed side of his foot-plate 10 is ref moved, the compressed springs 37 bring the footplate back to parallelism with the axes of the rollers 20, and bring such two axes again into parallelism with each other.

In the construction shown, assembly, disassembly, and repair is relatively easy. If one of the springs 37 breaks, for instance, the nut 43 is removed from the bolt 40; one of the rollers 20 with its roller-sleeve l1 is slipped from the bolt 40 as a unit, and the bolt slipped entirely out of place if desired, which gives ready access to the clamping bolts 34 so that they may be taken apart to permit separation of the plates forming the rockable fork 33; whereupon, by such separation, access is obtained immediately to the broken spring 37 so that it may be removed and a good spring substituted for it. Then the removed parts may easily be put back `in place, by a reverse procedure.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a roller skate, the combination of a supporting member on which the foot-plate rests, a fork pivoted on said supporting member on an axis oblique to the horizontal and having two prongs in which the axle for a pair nof rollers is mounted, an abutment plate associated with said supporting member, and a pair of compression springs surrounding said roller-axle and bearing against said abutment plate on opposite rsides thereof and located between it and the respective prongs of said fork.

2. In a roller skate, the combination oi a supporting member on which the `foot-plate rests, a fork pivoted on said supporting member and ,hav-

ing two prongs on which the axle for a pair of rollers is mounted, an abutment plate associated with said supporting member, and a pair of compression springs surrounding said roller-axle and bearing against said abutment plate on opposite sides thereof and located between it and the respective prongs of said fork.

3. vIn a roller skate, the combination of a supporting member having two parallel but oblique arms which have slotted downward extensions, anf'abutment plate mounted in said slots, a rockable fork pivotally mounted between said parallel arms and having prongs which lie on the two sides of said abutment plate, a sleeve mounted in said two fork-prongs and extending through said abutment plate, a pair of compression springs surrounding said sleeve and located between said abutment plate and the respective fork-prongs, an axle extending through said sleeve, and a pair of rollers mounted on the opposite endsof said axle.

Ll. In a roller skate, the combination of a sup-v porting member having two parallel but oblique arms which have slotted downward extensions, an abutment plate mounted in said slots, a rockable fork pivotally mounted between said parallel arms and having prongs which lie on the two sides of said abutment plate, a sleeve mounted in said two fork-prongs and extending through said abutment plate, a pair of compression springs surrounding said sleeve andlocated between said abutment plate and the respective fork-prongs, an axle extending through said sleeve, and a pair of rollers mounted on the opposite ends of said axle, said fork being made of two plates separably bolted together and each having one of the forkprongs. i n

5. In a roller skate, the combination of aV support on which the foot-plate rests, a rockable fork 'mounted in said support on an oblique axis, a pair of rollers associated with said fork, and a pair of centering springs surrounding the roller axis and acting on the prongs of said fork.

, 6. In a roller skate, the combination of a support on which the foot-plate rests, a rockable fork mounted in said support, a pair of rollers associated with said fork, and a pair of centering springs surrounding the roller axis and acting on the prongs of said fork.

Y 7. Ina roller skate, the combination of a fork, an axle on which the prongs of said fork are mounted and which is associated with a pair of rollers, a supporting member attached to the skate foot-plate and on which the fork is rockable, and a pair of centering springs surrounding such axle and acting between the respective fork-prongs and a part associated with said support.

ALVA L. KITSELMAN.

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